A while back I made an attempt at a scoring methodology for pens. It was a way for me to take a bottom-up, step-by-step approach to working out what I liked and disliked about the pens I owned, and to see whether the cumulative total resulted in a ranking that actually reflected my gut preferences. … Continue reading Quantifying greatness: going deep down the rabbit hole
pens
“Optimal stopping” and the Namiki Urushi 20 / Yukari Royale
I read a book recently on algorithms, and it discussed a category of problems called "optimal stopping". Optimal stopping is all about finding out when to, well, stop in a pursuit. How many candidates do you interview for a job before making an offer? How many new restaurants in a city do you try before … Continue reading “Optimal stopping” and the Namiki Urushi 20 / Yukari Royale
The magic of Nakaya
Spend any time on pen blogs and forums and you'll find someone mention "Nakaya" and "grail pen" in the same sentence. There's something about this Japanese brand that really gets people by the soul and won't let go, in a way that Sailor and Pilot don't. Maybe it's the mystique around the brand itself: staffed … Continue reading The magic of Nakaya
My Japan haul: ink, paper and more
As is my way, I went to Japan with an exhaustively researched shopping list. I knew which items I wanted to investigate, I knew where was likely to stock them, and I knew roughly how much they were going to cost. But I still gave myself a few surprises. Inks Tokyo is the home of … Continue reading My Japan haul: ink, paper and more
Close, but no cigar? Getting to grips with the Conway Stewart Winston
Spurred on by my discovery of Onoto and my joyful first experiences with a friend's Conway Stewart Churchill, I set off on a mission to get my own Conway Stewart. I didn't want one of the current versions from Bespoke British Pens, with their conventional 'flag' nibs... no, I wanted one from a few years … Continue reading Close, but no cigar? Getting to grips with the Conway Stewart Winston
Mail call: the Italian Job
I always get excited when the postman knocks at my door. Today I had extra reason to do so: he was bearing a box laden with some very special Italian pens from a dear friend. Chief among them was my grey Scribo, returned from its sojourn to Scotland. But it was not alone. Yep, that's … Continue reading Mail call: the Italian Job
State of the collection: May 2019
It's time to give you another tour of my pen drawer, since I last posted one back in March. Let's take a look. Italy and Visconti On the left are my Italian pens. You may remember the Visconti Van Gogh Room in Arles, which I retired a few months ago when I discovered cracks in … Continue reading State of the collection: May 2019
Wooden wonder: Faber-Castell e-Motion
I received this pen at no cost from Executive Pens Direct. If this worries you at all, see my ethics page here. I'll cut to the chase: I wish I'd bought an e-Motion a couple of years ago. After a few weeks of use I can say with confidence that it's a great pen, and … Continue reading Wooden wonder: Faber-Castell e-Motion
At last: reviewing the Desiderata Soubriquet
This review is long overdue. I bought my first Soubriquet (cocobolo barrel and ebonite cap prototype) from Desiderata Pens in September 2018, although it feels like I've owned it forever. I bought a second Soubriquet in amber acrylic in March 2019, and ordered a third, with a one-piece cocobolo barrel and cocobolo cap, in April … Continue reading At last: reviewing the Desiderata Soubriquet
My pen “capsule wardrobe” (cheating at a top ten of fountain pens)
Whenever I buy a new pen recently, I'm finding there's a smaller and smaller chance that it will stick in my collection. Even though I'm learning more about my tastes, and making (hopefully) better and better purchases, the new pens have a huge task scaling the heights of my current collection, which I have been … Continue reading My pen “capsule wardrobe” (cheating at a top ten of fountain pens)
